To Heal Her
by eros-is-sleepy
Summary: Lisanna Strauss is back in Magnolia Academy! Natsu is excited to see her again. Lucy is left heartbroken. (Poll about the endgame on my profile!)
1. Chapter 1

Note: In the topic of tweets, the character limit I used was 280 characters. Hehe, enjoy! :)

* * *

 _Beep, beep, beep, be–!_

The digital clock flew across the room. It made a sickening cracking sound when it hit the wall. _Serves you right, annoying alarm!_ Lucy groaned, rolling to the side of her bed and grabbing her phone. She started to tweet:

 **Lucy** _(CelestialLucy)_ **  
**School starts today, ugh. Extension please?

She watched as a few of her friends started to like and reply.

 **Erza** _(ErzaLovesCake) **  
**_Worry not, Lucy. As the student body president, I have succeeded in adding CAKE as a canteen dessert. YES, CAKE! I can already tell this year is going to be the best.

Lucy laughed, she could almost see the twinkle in the scarlet-head's eyes. As much as Erza was scary, she was also adorable and funny. A fierce warrior easily excited by cake and sweets.

 **Lucy** _(CelestialLucy)_ **  
**Hahaha, that sounds amazing! I'm looking forward to the school year now!

She moved on to the next person who replied to her tweet.

 **Cool Dude** _(GrayFullbuster) **  
**_yes, an extension would be nice. but at least we're all in the same class thanks to _ErzaLovesCake_. i still want flamebrain to move to another class though.

There were two replies under Gray's tweet.

 **HOTNESS** _(YesIHavePinkHair) **  
**_fuck u ice princess  
its been a week  
can i change my username now D:

 **Gray-sama is mine!** _(JuviaFullbuster) **  
**_JUVIA IS ALSO GOING TO BE IN THE SAME CLASS AS GRAY-SAMA!

Lucy didn't even bother to reply to any of them as she liked their tweets instead. Her notifications were blowing up with Natsu and Gray fighting under her own tweet. "Wish they'd shut up," she sighed and – as if on cue – Erza joined their thread.

 **Erza** _(ErzaLovesCake) **  
**_Shouldn't you guys be preparing for school? I swear I will have all your heads on a platter if any of you arrive late.

The blonde felt chills run throughout her body, knowing Erza's tweet indirectly included her. She dished out an apology, so did the two boys, and proceeded to get ready for the day.

* * *

 _"_ _Good morning, everyone! I am Erza Scarlet, the student body president, and I see both new and old faces. Welcome to Magnolia Academy, new students!"_

It was just last year when Lucy became a student at Magnolia Academy, when she left her father's mansion to start an independent life of her own. So far, it has been the best decision she has ever made. Here she was known as just Lucy, not the Lucky Lucy of Heartfilia, and everyone accepted her for her – neither for her name nor fortune.

And she met this amazing guy, Natsu Dragneel. Oh, she could go on and on about him, about how sweet, hilarious, or whatever he was. They were best friends and she happened to like him more than that. Not that she would ever admit it to him though. He would be too dense to understand and would probably say he also liked Lucy as a sister. Now _that_ would be embarrassing.

"Morning, Luce!" _Speak of the devil._

Lucy turned to the right, facing Natsu. She covered her startled expression with a smile. "Good morning to you too, Natsu."

"You looked deep in thought." He pulled his lips into a grin that displayed his fangs. The same grin Lucy fell in love with. "Let me guess, you already heard about the new student."

"New student?" she repeated with one of her brows up in question.

"Yep." he said, popping the p.

"Sorry to break it to you, but no." At Natsu's slumping shoulders, she added, "Tell me about them though."

"ALRIGHT, I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!"

" _Shhh!"_ Lucy pressed her index finger to his lips and her eyes shot to the stage. Fortunately, they were at the very back of the auditorium so the people in front weren't able to hear Natsu's loud voice. In addition to that, nobody really seemed to care about the ceremony since it was the same every year. They were either on their phone or talking to each other like the two were.

She lowered her hand and sighed, "Keep your voice down." Lucy just couldn't risk Erza hearing them even if it seemed impossible, but then again, nothing was impossible for Erza Scarlet.

"Hehe, sorry about that!" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Lucy shrugged and let him continue, "I heard from Levy that the new student isn't actually a new student!"

"So a student that transferred to another school but came back here?" Natsu nodded. "Oh, then maybe you know them?"

It was his turn to shrug. "I don't know, but Levy told me I did." Before Lucy could reply, he held his hand up. "Actually, I'm sure I know who _she_ is. I just can't believe she came back!"

The excitement in Natsu's eyes got her all giddy. She held his raised hand and started shaking it. "If she's your friend, then maybe we can be friends too!"

He was beaming at her and Lucy was sure she had never seen Natsu this happy before. In a weird way, it broke her heart. If she transferred away and returned after some time, would he react the same? _Probably not_ , she answered her own question and smiled wider to mask the pain.

 _As long as he is happy, then I should be too._

"Of course! Lisanna's a really nice person, and we're not–"

" _That's it for today, everyone! Again, I am Erza Scarlet, the student body president, promising you all the best school year!_ "

The rest of Natsu's words were drowned out by Erza's, but Lucy heard it perfectly, along with the cracking of her heart. "–just friends, she's my girlfriend!"

Aside from dropping her hands, she didn't know how to react. Should she keep smiling and say she's happy for him or should she slap him across the face and stomp out the room? Either way, the tears were already falling and her legs felt like they would give out any second.

 _You can't be selfish, Lucy._

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, finding it hard to talk with her sobs choking her, but she forced herself to. "I-I'm so happy for you, Natsu!"

"Why are you crying, Luce?!" His eyes were wide as saucers as he tried to comfort her with a hug. It only made her cry more. "Wah, did I say something wrong?!"

Lucy shook her head and leaned closer to him as if it would be the last hug they'd share. "N-No, I'm just so…" she sniffled, "h-happy for you, that's all."

The world around her seemed to be imploding, with the only comfort being in Natsu's arms. She couldn't believe all of this. _I'm sorry, Erza, but this isn't gonna be the best year for me._ How could she not know Natsu had a girlfriend? She was supposed to be his best friend; she should've known everything about him! How did she not know _this_? Did he even talk about her – about Lisanna? _She's a lucky girl._

"You flatter me, Luce, but I'm the lucky one for having her." Lucy looked up, not knowing she muttered her last thought out loud, and was met with his fanged grin.

Yeah, the same grin she fell in love with.

And the same grin that broke her heart.

She could only laugh at how fate was dealing with her right now. A few moments ago, she was incredibly excited to meet the new student, now she didn't even want to face her. Lisanna must have been the full package if she was the one dating the school heartthrob. Lucy would stand no chance against her.

"Uhm, Luce, I think we should go to class now before Erza spots us." He broke the embrace, took the girl's hand in his, and led her outside the doors. No matter how weird Lucy was acting right now, she was still his best friend. And what kind of best friend would he be if he let her face Erza's wrath? A bad best friend, that's what!

Of course, she followed him till they passed a restroom. Natsu stopped when he felt the girl tug his hand. "What's the matter, Luce? You okay now?" Her wails had greatly reduced to sniffles, but the concern in his voice almost made her want to wail again.

Instead, she slowly nodded and gave him a watery smile. "All better now, thank you, Natsu. I just need to go to the ladies' room real quick."

His eyes followed to where she pointed and he nodded back. "Sure, but don't skip class, okay? Erza would destroy you for doing that on the first day!" He tried to lighten the mood with a laugh and Lucy pretended to join in.

"I know. See you later!"

"See ya, Luce!"

She watched his retreating figure, not once did he look back at her. Lucy understood why though. Natsu was really excited about his girlfriend coming back and Lucy wouldn't spoit it for him. She wasn't that selfish.

 _You were just his best friend, Lucy_.

The tears all came back the moment she entered the restroom, her feet dragged to the farthest cubicle from the door and she locked herself in. She sat on the toilet seat and cradled her head in her shaking hands, sobs wracking her entire frame.

"D-damn it!" she began to rant, "I'm so dumb! I s-should've known not to let myself fall, but I still did!" More hot tears poured out her eyes. "It's all because of you, Natsu! H-How dare you smile at me with such a cute smile?!" She started to dig her nails into her scalp. "How dare y-you… for not letting me know you had a girlfriend."

Everything was hurting to Lucy.

"And, most of all, how dare I for falling – for falling for my best friend?"

She passed out with her hands still tangled in her hair. She fell asleep against the cold bathroom wall, body exhausted from all the crying. The peace and quiet in her slumber comforted her, it would take a while before she woke up.

However, unbeknownst to Lucy, she wasn't the only one in the room. Another person had heard the whole thing.

* * *

 **A/N** : While you're here, go read The Four Dragon Knights! HAHAHA shameless self-ad :D HEHEHE I got this idea earlier today and decided to write it out before I forgot lmao~ Well, I'm not really great with writing, but I try! :D Leave a review! Who do you think heard Lucy in the restroom? :O You'll find out in the next chapter! See ya!


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy woke up to the noise surrounding her. _Huh, where am I?_ She opened her eyes and behold, her friends were gathered around her bed. _Ah, the infirmary._

"Luce! You're awake!"

"Lu-chan, we were all so worried!"

A throbbing pain shot to her head when she tried to get up. She almost hit her head on the bed frame if not for Natsu catching her. "Don't force yourself to get up, Luce." He set her in a comfortable position and she nodded her thanks.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, she could remember everything from the morning ceremony to the restroom ranting but everything after that was blank. "Did I pass out?"

"Yeah, in the restroom." Gray appeared from behind the privacy screen. "If it weren't for Erza finding you, then you would've still been there." He clenched his fists when his fingers started to shake. "We should be asking _you_ what happened."

"Oi, stripper, she just woke up. Take it easy on her." Natsu shot a pointed look at the man. "And please wear some clothes."

Gray looked down in horror. "Gah! Where'd my shirt go?!" His head turned left and right, frantic eyes roaming in search for the lost shirt till they stopped at Lucy and softened. "Nevermind, the shirt can wait. Lucy comes first."

The blonde smiled at her friend's sweet words and began to answer him, "I'm not too sure myself, Gray." It hurt her to lie, especially to her closest friends.

"Really, Lu-chan?" Levy spoke a bit too quickly, hurt evident in her voice. "Because Natsu told us you've been crying."

 _Ah, I've been found out._

Since Natsu was in the room, words Lucy wanted to say wouldn't come out. She was afraid of his reaction, heck, she was afraid of everyone's reaction. How would they react to Lucy finding out about her best friend's girlfriend and then crying her heart out in 'happiness'? They would become suspicious of her true feelings, of course.

"And why were you crying?" The stern tone to Erza's voice almost made her blurt out everything, but Lucy bit her own tongue before she could even do so. "Did this idiot make you cry?" Erza pointed at Natsu who raised his hands and cowered in fear.

"N-n-no way, you got this all wrong, Erza! I would never make Lucy cry!" _Or so you think_.

The student body president turned to look at the resting girl. "Answer me, Lucy, or I will take your silence as yes and kill him for you." When Lucy didn't respond, Erza turned back to Natsu, a murderous aura enveloping her. "How dare you make her cry!"

Erza made a lunge at the terrified boy. Natsu moved his arms in front of himself to act as a shield and started screaming, "NOOOOOOOO!" He braced for his death but nothing came.

"What?" His arms fell to his sides, wondering why the she-devil hadn't taken his life yet, and saw everyone looking the same way. He followed their line of sight, all stopped at Lucy and he heard it.

She was crying again.

Almost immediately, he ran to her side, engulfing her in an embrace. "Please don't cry again, I hate hearing you so sad." He pulled back to stare into her eyes. "The Lucy I know and love always has a smile on her face." His signature fanged grin was now matched with tearful eyes. "So smile for me… _please._ "

Lucy shook her head and turned away from Natsu. "I-I'm sorry, but I – I can't." Her lower lip caught between her teeth as she gnawed on it. "Not right now." She couldn't bear to look at him crying, her heart already had enough for the day.

" _Lucy, I'm begging you._ " The desperation in his voice was clear and his tears were crashing down like waterfalls.

Everyone else at the room stayed back, not wanting to interrupt the private moment between the two. Natsu and Lucy were the best of friends, you wouldn't see the former without the latter and vice versa. They walked to school and went back home together, they were practically inseparable. Many rumors about them dating spread around and a lot of people paired them romantically. Their close friends even saw that as a possibility – with the girl's constant red cheeks and the loving glint in the boy's eyes – well, if only Natsu didn't have a girlfriend.

Yeah, they all knew he had one.

Except for Lucy.

The tension around the room was so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. Lucy wouldn't budge, she kept her eyes planted on the window beside the bed. She felt a sense of envy for the people outside, they all looked so happy and glowing under the hot sun. _Unlike me._

Natsu still had his hands on Lucy's shoulders, his eyes searching for any sort of emotion in hers. He found nothing but pain, but he wouldn't stop searching - no, he wouldn't stop searching till he found something close to happiness or anything that was like that. He wanted to see her smile and say she was okay now.

But we can't always get what we want, can we?

Everything was frozen in place, and who knew how long it would take till they moved again. Time was ticking and Gray started to get impatient. "Come on, Natsu, she needs space right now."

Natsu looked over his shoulder, hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot. "No, Gray, you don't understand–"

"And like hell _you_ understand!" Gray raised his voice and took a step toward the bed. Levy went in front of him with her arms stretched out, she was also crying.

Natsu stood up. "What exactly do you mean by that, _huh_?"

Oh, Gray could feel his blood boiling as he heard a sharp intake from behind Natsu. "You dense fucker! Do you really not know about Lucy's–"

 _'Don't,'_ the bluenette mouthed to him and he let out a curse.

"Lucy's what?!" Natsu demanded. If not for Levy serving as a barricade, he would've thrown Gray a punch.

The raven-haired man felt sorry for even mentioning Lucy's feelings, as she was now shaking her head at him. "Nevermind, it's not my place to say it."

Natsu done did it. He pushed past Levy and socked Gray in the jaw. " _It's not your place to say it?_ Fuck that shit, Gray! I need to know– _umph_ …" The pinket fell to the floor, Erza had hit him hard in the stomach.

Lucy gasped, "Natsu!" She tried to get up again and Levy rushed to help her.

"Lu-chan, don't worry about Natsu. He was being pushy, he deserved it."

The blonde opened her mouth to counter, to say that he was just concerned, but Erza wasn't having any of it. "For once, will you put yourself before anyone else?"

It echoed inside Lucy's head. _For once, will you put yourself before anyone else?_ She never thought of it that way. She was so caught up with making everyone happy that she forgot about her own happiness. _Erza's right._

Before she could even reply, the school bell rang. "Everyone, back to your classes, lunch time's over." The scarlet-head carried an unconscious Natsu on her right shoulder. "Except for you, Lucy. You need to rest." Erza smiled at her before walking out the infirmary doors.

Gray followed, holding his jaw. "I'm sorry for earlier, Lucy." He couldn't look at her in guilt of almost revealing her feelings. "See ya later."

Levy was the last to leave. She fixed Lucy's hair, wiped both of their tears away, and planted a kiss on her cheek before she went. "I swear I'll beat up Natsu for you, Lu-chan! I can't believe you like that retard!"

Lucy was alone again, the once crowded room was vacant. Like her heart. It felt empty and cold.

She pulled the covers over her and, with one last thought, she went back to bed.

 _I can't believe I like him too, Levy-chan._

* * *

 **A/N:** yeah haha again, just like T4DK, i felt the need to update fast~ so yep, how's it all so far haha still don't know when i'm gonna insert sting into all of this though hehe leave a revieeewww :) thank you for reading! see you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since Lucy's heartbreak, but that didn't mean she was okay now.

She met Lisanna the first time she went to class, and the girl was absolutely beautiful with her silvery hair and blue eyes. It hit her then, _so this is Mira's little sister?_ They looked so alike yet so different at the same time, Lisanna could definitely follow her big sister's modelling career if she wanted to though. And Lucy took note of how kind and polite she was, how she covers her mouth when she laughs, how she stops to smell the flowers, how she looks at Natsu with so much love, how – anyway, she and Natsu were a match made in heaven.

Lisanna took the leftmost seat in the back row, where Lucy was supposed to sit since it was beside Natsu. _I guess best friends come second to girlfriends_ , she thought bitterly when she was forced to sit in front. It's not that it was bad there, not at all! It's not like Lucy was the kind of student who always on her phone, even in class, oh but she was, and with her being in front, she would be easily seen by the teacher. For goodness' sake, none of her friends were even near her (Erza was on the same row, but there were three chairs between them)! So far, the only pro she could see was it being a window seat.

Yeah, things weren't looking too good for Lucy right now, especially since Natsu hardly spent time with her anymore. She missed her best friend so much. She missed all the late-night conversations, she missed their arcade adventures, god, she even missed his snoring! Screw a relationship, all she wanted right now was her best friend back – with or without a girlfriend.

 **Lucy** ( _CelestialLucy_ )  
Needing a friend right now. :(

She tweeted, hoping a certain pinket named Natsu would see and get the hint. After all, she saw he was also on Twitter:

 **HOTNESS** ( _NatsuIsOnFire_ )  
class starts in a few minutes  
somebody help meeeee

 _Classic Natsu._ She couldn't help but snicker.

"Glad to see you're laughing now, Lucy." Her eyes widened at Gray's voice and she quickly hid her phone from him.

Then she turned and faced him with a smile. "What's up, Gray? What brings you here?"

"For starters, I saw your tweet and came to check on you." He returned her smile. "So… you okay?"

"Oh, that!" Lucy started to laugh, "That tweet was nothing, really!"

" _Lucy_." It was as if he was talking to a child. "I'll ask this one more time, _are you okay_?"

Put off by his tone, it took her a moment to reply, "Yes, I am! Now stop bothering me!" She didn't mean the last part and her hands shot to her mouth. " _Shit._ Gray, look–"

"Is this how you treat everyone who tries to help you?!" The room fell silent at Gray's outburst, everyone was now staring at the two of them, including Natsu and Lisanna.

From the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Natsu walking toward them, probably about to pick a fight with Gray. She never knew why exactly though, since the doors opened and in came the teacher. "Everyone, back to your seats."

Lucy was already in hers, Gray looked reluctant but started to walk away, and Lisanna tugged Natsu back down his.

 _'_ _I'm sorry_ ,' the blonde mouthed to her raven-haired friend who was two seats behind her and he grumbled in response before looking away. _Good job, Lucy! Keep this going and you'll even lose Gray! Amazing!_

* * *

For the rest of the day, Lucy tried to approach Gray many times but he seemed to be avoiding her. The girl knew this was all her fault and it left a bad taste in her mouth. She would never forgive herself if she lost another one of her friends.

"Levy-chan, have you seen Gray?" she asked the bluenette who was putting on her outdoor shoes.

"Yeah, Lu-chan, he went home a while ago."

"What? Are you sure it was Gray and not some clone? Gray never goes home early!"

Levy giggled at her shocked expression, "A hundred percent sure! He said he wasn't feeling well or something, I don't really believe him though."

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"Don't _why_ me, Lu-chan!" She poked the blonde's nose. "I saw everything that happened this morning and I assume you're going to apologize to him now."

"Well…" Lucy couldn't really come up with a good lie now. "You're right."

Levy pinched her friend's cheek. "You were going to lie again, weren't you?"

"That hurt!" Lucy rubbed her sore cheek and frowned at the petite girl. "You know me too much, Levy-chan."

"Hell yeah, I do! And I've known Gray longer than you!" Levy started to push Lucy outside the school doors. For someone so small, she sure was strong. "He's a forgiving person, but also the type to hold grudges. Go apologize to him while you still can!"

"Alright, alright, thank you, Levy-chan!" Lucy was about to break into a sprint when Levy slapped her on the back, causing her to stumble. Not only was she strong, but also violent.

"No problem, Lu-chan! Bye-bye!"

* * *

 _This is it._ Lucy's running turned into walking as she rounded the block, the blue house already in sight. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she pounded on the front door.

"Gray, answer the door!"

"Why don't you, Lyon?"

"Hmm, what was that, _little brother_?"

"I said fuck you."

Lucy chuckled at what she overheard, but quickly smothered it once the door opened.

Gray was shirtless, as usual, when he answered the door. " _Lucy_?!" He covered up his surprise with a cough, "I mean, Lucy, yeah, uh-huh, you're Lucy, right?" He mentally slapped himself. "What am I saying? Of course you're Lucy!"

She couldn't help but grin at his awkwardness. "And you're Gray."

" _Gray, who is it?_ " Lyon shouted from the inside.

The said man turned around to shout back, " _It's Lucy!_ "

Immediately after he said that, hasty footsteps neared the two. A panting Lyon came into view, also shirtless. "Lucy!" There was a big goofy smile on his face, totally opposite to his usually calm personality. "Come in, come in!"

"Good evening, Lyon." She took a step inside the house and opened her arms toward the brothers. The older one wasted no time in running to her, he picked her off the floor and started spinning her around. The younger one sighed at his brother's actions and closed the front door.

"I missed you so much, Lucy!" Lyon carried her to the living room, put her down the couch, and sat beside her. He had heart eyes only for Lucy.

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," Gray croaked from behind them. "He wouldn't, would not, and _refused_ to shut up about you!" He suddenly looked very tired, probably reminiscing all the times Lyon has mentioned Lucy since their first meeting.

Apparently, Lyon caught a serious case of _love at first sight_ from Lucy. And Gray hated all of it.

"Oh, be bitter somewhere else! You're ruining my precious Lucy time!" Lyon swatted Gray away.

" _Lucy time_?" Both Gray and Lucy repeated, eyes twitching.

"Yes!" Lyon cried, frustrated at his meddling brother. "Now _shoo_!"

Gray shrugged and walked away to the kitchen. "Whatever."

Lyon legit swirled around to face Lucy, his slanted eyes disappearing with a wide grin. "So what was I saying again?"

"Lyon?" Lucy spoke a bit too quietly as Lyon didn't hear.

"Right, I remember now! My dear Lucy, I've missed you so!"

" _Lyon_?" He still didn't hear.

"I'm so glad you came back for me! I was so lonely–"

" _LYON!_ " She finally caught his attention.

"What is it, my dear?"

Lucy stared at her hands on her lap as she thought of a way to tell her she was actually here for Gray. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm actually here for Gray." The best way was to be direct, right?

"Ah." He was stricken, deflating on the spot. "I'm sorry for bothering you." Lyon walked to the nearest corner, where he curled up in a sitting fetal position.

She was concerned about the sudden switch in the man's personality. _Err, how do I fix this…?_ To Lucy, he seemed like a person fond of skinship, so she cradled him in her arms. "Hey, don't be so down. We can talk later!" She ruffled his hair for more effect.

Lyon did another switch, cheeks flaring and eyes twinkling. "Really? AH! You are an angel!" He practically melted in Lucy's embrace, savoring it till she withdrew.

"Oh my god, she hugged me… Lucy actually hugged me!" She could hear him repeating the same sentence over and over again as she went after Gray.

Lucy found him sitting on one of the stools along the bar counter, a massive tub of cookies and cream ice cream in front of him. "Do you seriously plan on finishing that?" She could feel her throat getting numb by just looking at it.

Gray didn't even spare her a glance as he stuck a spoonful of the cold dessert in his mouth. "Yeah, have something to say about it?"

 _Yes! Plenty!_ "N-No…" _Damn it, Lucy! Now he's going to kick you out–_

"Take a seat then, unless you plan on standing there the whole time."

 _–_ _WHAT?_ "Okay." She took small steps to the bar stool next to Gray and did as told.

There was a pregnant pause. Lucy fiddled with her fingers, eyes on Gray while he ate his ice cream in a slow pace. Neither of them knew what to say and any attempt of an apology got stuck in the girl's throat.

Fortunately, Lyon broke the ice with a giddy shriek from the living room, " _LUCY HEARTFILIA REALLY HUGGED ME!"_

The two friends shared a look before bursting in laughter, hands clutching sides and tears lining eyes. Yeah, the best kind of laughter wherein their stomachs were begging them to stop, they didn't stop though. Lucy even began to clap her hands like a seal and Gray pounded on the counter.

"Lyon, that… that fucking head over heels madman!" Gray howled once he finished laughing. He set the ice cream tub aside and turned his stool to face Lucy. "Sorry about him, he can come on a bit too strong."

Lucy also turned her stool to face Gray. "Is he always like that?" She didn't get that kind of vibe from Lyon, unlike Loke Celestial from her hometown nor like Dan Straight from another school.

"Around you, maybe?" Gray scratched his head. "He's a really cool guy otherwise. I can vouch for that." He gave her a knowing smirk and a thumbs up.

"I think he's kinda silly," Lucy admitted, adding, "in an adorable way, of course!" when Gray started to stifle a laugh.

Any sort of humor in Gray's eyes disappeared and Lucy wondered if it was something she said. He cupped a hand around his mouth and leaned closer, whispering after he looked around, " _Never_ let Lyon know you find him adorable."

"Why?" she whispered back.

" _Why_?" he repeated, an incredulous look in his eyes. " _I'll never hear the end of it, that's why_! _"_

Gray looked so terrified at the mere thought of Lyon bragging it to him every day, so terrified that Lucy had to laugh, "That's so lame!"

He stared at her with his hands clutching his chest. "You say that because you've never had to put up with it!" Gray began to imitate Lyon, " _Hey, Gray, how's Lucy? Does she still think I'm adorable?_ " He dropped the dramatic pose. "He'll say that _every single day_ , once if I'm lucky enough!"

Lucy was still laughing, "You're just making him look bad to me!"

The raven-haired boy gaped at her. "You…" He threw his hands to the side, almost knocking down the tub of ice cream. "You don't believe me!"

She kept on laughing.

Gray scoffed, "Fine, don't believe me." He crossed his arms and scooted away from her. "Why are you even here? To annoy me some more?"

"I… annoy you?" Her voice was small and her head was down, she went back to playing with her own hands. His words hurt Lucy but she wouldn't dare show it.

If Lucy actually looked at Gray, she would see him shaking his head, clearly regretting what he said. But she didn't see it and stood up instead, already making her way back to the living room. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow–"

"Wait, Lucy!" Gray grabbed her wrist and she gasped, turning back to him. There was a faint tint of red on his cheeks as he kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, and I'm also sorry for what I said just now." He pulled her into a hug before whispering into her hair, "You don't annoy me, not even a bit, not even at all."

Needless to say, she was startled. Gray wasn't a hugger and she knew that. There was this one time that they had to force him to join a group hug and he held out for two seconds before pulling away. If he couldn't do a group hug, how much less a normal hug? However, here he was, hands on Lucy's back and face in her hair. He was hugging Lucy as if she would disappear if he didn't.

 _I'm not going anywhere, Gray._ Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. It was her turn to apologize. "I'm sorry too."

"It's okay," he sounded as if he'd been crying the whole time. And it was the trigger for Lucy's tears to fall.

Gray's touch was cold, it sent chills throughout her body yet it warmed her heart at the same time. It made Lucy forget about Natsu, about all her troubles, about all her worries. Right now, there was nothing in her mind except for Gray and how their bodies fit together perfectly. Right now, everything seemed perfect–

" _GRAY?! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ADVANCES ON LUCY BEHIND MY BACK?!"_

* * *

 **A/N:** yes. endgame is still going to be StiCy (or StiLu whatever) HAHAHAHAHA actually im not really sure yet hmmm ;) guess i'll be putting up a poll and, no, natsu will not be in it i'm sorry ;-; it'll be a fight between sting, rogue, gray, and lyon (if you want to add someone, go review hehe) :3 keeping the poll open till tomorrow so yeah go go go vote! oh, don't forget to leave a review! and i'll see you next chapter!

* * *

 **! POLL IS ON MY PROFILE !**


	4. Chapter 4

_**The poll is still up on my profile! Go vote!**_

* * *

The two jumped away from each other while wiping their tears, their faces hot with shame and guilt as if they were caught doing something indecent when it was actually just an innocent hug (or was it?). Both Lucy and Gray felt a spark in that short span of time, but the teary Lyon at the door gave them no chance to ponder on it.

"I trusted you!" Lyon slammed his hand on the door frame, making Lucy flinch from the loud sound it made. He felt betrayed at what he walked in on, his younger brother should've kept his hands to himself!

Gray tried to explain, "You walked in at the wrong moment, Lyon, we weren't doing anything!"

His words only seemed to add more fuel to the fire.

"I walked in at the _wrong_ moment? Actually, I think I walked in at the perfect moment!" Lyon threw his arms to the air for more drama. "A little more time and you would've pounced on her!"

Lucy was shocked. Did Lyon really think his brother was that kind of guy? Because, to her, he was a gentleman despite his stripping problems. He always opened the door for her, always let her share an umbrella with him, and always offered to accompany her when Natsu wasn't around. He even made time to help her study during finals! Would Gray really take advantage of her and her unstable emotions if Lyon didn't walk in? The mere thought of it was absurd!

"Lucy, go." She snapped her head to Gray, who was starting to approach Lyon. The two men were staring each other down, waiting to see who would make the first move.

 _All this because of a hug?_ Lucy planted her heels on the ground. She was the reason why this started, it was only right for her to take the blame. _Why Gray?_ She wanted to scream at Lyon, but nothing came out of her mouth. The man was blinded by fury, as if no amount of talking could change his mind, and it frightened Lucy out of her wits. Was this the same Lyon Vastia from earlier in the living room? The one that resembled an excited puppy? If so, it was hard to believe.

"She's not going anywhere." Lyon now started to approach her and Gray stopped him with a right hook. The older brother was shocked for a moment, but quickly retaliated with a punch of his own. Lucy gasped when it knocked Gray back.

He turned to look at her, a mixture of strong emotions in his eyes. Lucy drew a sharp intake of breath. _I have to do something!_ She felt useless standing there while Lyon tackled Gray and continued to beat him up. Lucy could do nothing but cry, her body wasn't listening to her. _Damn it, move!_

" _Just fucking go, Lucy!_ " Gray roared at her after he flipped Lyon under him, switching their places. He delivered vicious blows to his older brother who was struggling to get him off. His eyes flicker to a frozen Lucy and he roared yet again, " _Goddamn it, Lucy! Go while you still can!_ "

His words did her a miracle and she zoomed out the back door like her life depended on it. _Gray… Lyon… I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!_

* * *

Lucy ran as far as her feet could take her, which was till a convenience store near her apartment.

She was panting and covered in sweat when she walked inside the building. Stomach growling as she entered the aisles, coming back minutes later with arms full of chips, biscuits, and water bottles. She set them down the counter.

The clerk finished scanning her items. "That'd be…" _Holy shit, I left my bag at Gray's house._ Lucy groaned, her wallet was usually in her bag. She checked her sweater pockets, and yep, only her phone was there.

"Miss?" Lucy found herself drawn into the store clerk's red eyes. _Those have got to be contacts._

Rogue – as his nametag said – gave her a polite smile. "They're natural."

Lucy was confused. "Huh?"

His lips were back into a frown. "Nevermind. Are you going to pay or not?" Whoever this Rogue guy was, he sure wasn't a fan of small talk.

And Lucy wasn't a fan of forgotten wallets.

"Uh… how do I say this?" She shrunk under his piercing gaze. Why did his eyes have to be a shade of red? It both amazed and scared the blonde.

"Miss, hurry up, my shift is about to end–"

" _Iforgotmywalletpleasedon'tkillme._ "

"–are you kidding me?" He looked at her like she was stupid. _I'm not stupid_.

Lucy tried to smile as she proposed something, "How about I go back to get my wallet and you wait here? I'll be quick, I promise!" With her hands pushed together, an apology came after. "And I'm really, _really_ sorry."

Rogue glanced at his watch and sighed, "It's the end of my shift." He shook his head. "I can't help you, I need to go home now."

She put a hand over her stomach as it growled yet again. Lucy was really hungry now, the last meal she had was at lunch and lunch was hours ago. Sure, she could leg her apartment, but she didn't have any more energy to spare. All she wanted right now was to eat.

In a monotone, he said, "Sting is gonna kill me." Then he took a hairclip from his pocket and pinned his bangs back, his pair of red eyes now completely in view. Lucy's thoughts immediately went to Levy's boyfriend, Gajeel. He and Rogue had the same red eyes – Gajeel's were much more terrifying though – and black hair. Were they related in some way?

"Don't move." Rogue went to the backroom to... she wasn't sure why. Probably to go change out of his work clothes?

She agreed anyway, "Okay." Lucy tapped her fingers against the counter. _What's he planning to do?_

The doors opened and a blond male around her age walked in. He wore a cream muscle tee, blue gym shorts, and dark blue trainers. Lucy swore her heart skipped a beat when his blue eyes fell on her. Any sort of attraction she felt for this stranger disappeared with a poof once he opened his mouth.

"Oi, Blondie, have you seen Rogue?"

" _B-blondie_? You're a blond too!" she sputtered, too shocked to answer his question.

Hands on his styled hair, he pretended to be surprised. "I'm blond?!"

 _What a brat._

The stranger crossed his arms and his muscles flexed. "Okay, no more dilly-dallying and answer my question, Blondie. Where is he?" Lucy squirmed as she tried to avoid looking at the man's biceps, simultaneously praying to the gods for Rogue to come back.

And so he came back. "I'm here, Sting."

Lucy turned at the sound of his voice, and she spoke without thinking, " _Wow_." Rogue looked great in his all-black ensemble of a hoodie, skinny jeans, and sneakers. He also had his hairclip on.

"I think Blondie here has a crush on you," Sting sounded like he was directly behind her. Lucy moved her head to look and tensed. He really was behind her, arms still folded on top of each other. _When did he move?_

Rogue shook his head and sighed, "Don't say such ridiculous things." He went back to the counter and started to put all of Lucy's snacks in a plastic bag. What he said next completely caught her off guard.

"Sting, I'm going to have you pay for these."

Lucy searched his face for any trace of humor or mischief, but there were none.

"You're serious?" Sting took the words right out her mouth.

Rogue merely nodded, hand already outstretched.

Sting grumbled, digging into his pockets for his wallet. His arm brushed against Lucy's shoulder when he reached over to hand Rogue the exact amount of money. She shuddered upon contact but recovered quick enough for the both of them not to notice.

Once Lucy got hold of her snacks, Rogue signed off the computer. "My work here is done." The two men walked out the store as if nothing happened and she was beyond confused. _Huh?_

It took a whole minute before she pushed past the doors, running after them with a shout, "What if the store gets robbed? I mean there's no one there to look after it!"

They slowed their pace down so she could catch up. Rogue replied when she finally did, "This is normal, Orga always arrives late to work. I'm sure he's on his way now."

"Let's say a robbery happened right now – hopefully not – it'd be on Orga since he arrived late, not on Rogue. So don't worry your little blonde head off, alright, Blondie?" Sting gave her a wink before snatching the plastic bag out of a flustered Lucy's hands.

"H-Hey, that's mine!" Lucy couldn't reach the bag since Sting was taller than her.

"I paid for it though!" He raised the bag over his head, making it even more difficult for her to reach. She glared at Sting for taking advantage of their height difference.

Lucy could feel another rumble coming up and she rubbed her stomach. _Do your best, tummy!_ It growled and the cheeky blond man widened his eyes in surprise.

"What was that?" Sting asked, refusing to believe a stomach did that kind of sound. Even his stomach never did that!

With Sting's guard down, Rogue grabbed the plastic bag from him. The two of them managed to get a bag of chips each before they returned the bag to Lucy, who crushed Rogue in a bear hug.

"Sting, h-help… me…" Thankfully, she released him.

"Thank you so much, Rogue!" Lucy placed her hand over his cheek and kissed the back of the same hand. He was speechless, the tip of his ears pink. "You too, Sting!" She did the same to Sting, who smirked in return and trapped her between his arms.

"Maybe you'll get to kiss me for real next time, Blondie," he teased and twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers.

Lucy repeatedly hit him in the chest as she blushed a deep red. "M-Maybe there won't be a next time!"

"Maybe? Maybe not?" Sting loosened his grip. "Who knows?"

She wriggled out of his arms and huffed, "Then I hope I get to see Rogue again instead of you!" Realizing her choice of words, she facepalmed herself. _He's gonna tease me again._

"Oh?" Sting raised his eyebrows before leaning over to Rogue. He whispered loud enough for her to hear, "Dude, I think it's better if you stay away from Blondie. She seems like a total creep."

Rogue nodded and whispered back, perhaps even louder than Sting, "A weirdo, too."

 _These guys…_ Lucy put her hands on her hips and turned her back on them. "I'm gonna go now and pretend I never met the two of you."

"Good luck with that, Blondie. Girls say I'm hard to forget." She felt Sting's warm breath tickle her left ear and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She didn't say anything else and started to walk the direction of her apartment, slightly disappointed that none of them offered to walk her home. _AH! You have much more important things to worry about, Lucy!_ She reprimanded herself when she was tempted to look back and check if they were still there.

Her mental argument with herself continued till she felt her phone vibrating. It was a message from Gray. "I'll bring your bag tomorrow," she read, "don't worry about me."

A frustrated cry slipped from her lips, " _Like hell I won't!_ " A few people glanced her way and she hung her head low in embarrassment. "Why did I say that out loud…"

Lucy and Gray exchanged a few more messages until she finally arrived at her apartment. "I'm here!" she both said and typed. She ran straight to her room after locking the front door and throwing away the empty plastic bag.

"So tired!" Lucy cried as she dived onto her bed, still in her school uniform and eyes begging to be closed. She tried her damnedest to keep talking to Gray, but sleep seemed so enticing that night.

And so, after sending a good night text to Gray, Lucy focused on the happy things with hopes they would carry over, along with her, to dreamland.

Her phone vibrated an exact minute after, the words "Thank you for everything, Lucy. Sweet dreams." showed up on the screen, illuminating the dark room for a few seconds till it closed again. Though she was sleeping, a small smile appeared on Lucy's lips as if she read the message Gray sent to her.

At last, after having nightmares since the first day of school, Lucy was back to having a peaceful slumber – sweet dreams, as Gray said.

* * *

 **A/N:** awkward and rushed chapter omg i'm sorry :( i introduced sting and rogue now so yaay heehee :D as for the poll, _please_ go vote~! and leave a review hihi see you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**_The poll is still up on my profile! Go vote!_**

* * *

Lucy went to class surprisingly early the next day. In fact, she was the first to arrive. She took her assigned seat, the leftmost one in the first row, and immediately dropped her head onto the desk. Gently, of course, she didn't want to hurt herself even if she deserved it.

As she doodled on her spare notebook, her classmates filed in one by one, and the first friendly face she saw was Erza's. "Hey, prez!" Lucy waved at her.

"Good morning, Lucy." The scarlet-head waved back, halfway to her seat. "You're early today."

"Of course!" She raised both of her thumbs up with a smile on her face.

Erza placed her bag down and she noticed Lucy's wasn't there. "Where's your bag? Don't tell me you left it at home."

"Eh, somewhat?" The blonde's smile turned into more of a grimace. "It's a long story."

"Then I'll be willing to listen," Erza said as she walked to the seat next to Lucy and took it.

"Alright then," Lucy started, "I'm sure you saw what happened yesterday mor–"

A blur interrupted her, "Excuse me, prez, but this is my seat."

Erza glared the person down. "So?" And they backed away with their tail between legs.

"Continue, Lucy." _She is so scary._

"Okay then, after what happened yesterday morning, I felt the need to apologize to Gray–"

Another interruption, now by an enthusiastic pinket kicking down the doors, his girlfriend was closely behind him. "GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!"

Erza was irritated to say the least. " _Natsu, I_ will _cut your tongue off and feed it to your cat should you shout again!_ " Everyone at class fell silent at her _promise_ , all taking note not to shout that day.

He whimpered a sorry and went to his seat. Lucy could hear Lisanna teasing him for still being afraid of Erza. _How would anyone be_ not _afraid of Erza?_

The scarlet-head still had a stern glare when she turned back to Lucy. "Continue."

It terrified her.

"Y-Yes, prez!" Lucy gave her a salute. "I went to Gray's house to say sorry – we're okay now – but _something_ happened, I had to leave in a rush. And tada!" Jazz hands. "I left my bag at his house."

"Oh? _Something_ happened?"

"Yes."

"At Gray's house?"

"Yes."

"And you had to leave in a rush?"

"Yes, did you not hear–" _Do not question Erza Scarlet unless you have a death wish._

Lucy groaned when a teasing smirk appeared on Erza's face, "It's not what you think!"

"Really, Lucy?" Erza leaned closer to the blushing blonde, playfully nudging her in the ribs. _I think that's gonna bruise._ "I reckon Lyon caught you and Gray doing something... _indecent_."

"Actually, you're not far off." _Since Lyon considers a hug indecent. A HUG!_

"OOHHH!" Erza's nostrils flared, surprising Lucy a great amount. "You didn't even try to deny it!" She held a shaking fist close to her chest, her free hand wiping away imaginary tears. "They grow up so fast…"

Lucy could understand the weird looks thrown at them. After all, it's not every day you get to see _the_ Erza Scarlet act like this.

And as if talking about him summoned him, Gray entered the classroom. On his back was his bag, and slung around his right shoulder was Lucy's. His right hand was bandaged, he had a busted lip, and strewn across his exposed skin were bruises.

Damn Lyon.

Lucy ran up to him, eyes searching for more injuries. "Gray!"

"Hey, Lucy." He smiled at her and she swore she heard Erza cheering. "I believe you forgot this." He handed her the bag and their fingers met for a split second before she pulled away.

His icy touch lingered on her skin.

"Yeah," she breathed, "thanks." _WHY AM I BEING THIS WAY?_

She watched as he opened his mouth to speak.

"YOU LOOK WORSE THAN USUAL, ICE PRINCESS! WHO KNOCKED YOU UP?!"

She was confused for a moment. _Ah, that was Natsu._

Then she gasped. _Erza…_

Lucy whipped her head around and, sure enough, there was a Natsu-sized hole in the room and the pinket was nowhere to be found. Lisanna was missing, too, probably went after his boyfriend.

Erza sneered as she adjusted her glasses, "He's lucky I remembered Happy only ate fish." She tried covering the hole with her blazer and lots of tape. "Nothing to see here."

It only made things worse, since the red blazer stuck out like a sore thumb against the blue walls, but no one was brave – or stupid – enough to tell her.

Lucy let out an awkward laugh before continuing, "I'm just glad you're okay, Gray." She put a hand on his shoulder and he winced, shrugging her hand off.

Brows up and eyes wide, she gasped, "Oh god, I'm sorry!"

"No, no, you surprised me, that's all." Gray shook his head, though his twisted expression said otherwise.

The bell rang, leaving no more room for talking. Lucy shot Gray a worried look before they shuffled back to their seats. He must've had more injuries under his top.

Double damn Lyon.

Upon entering the classroom, the teacher sighed, "Ms. Scarlet, care to explain why there is _a gaping hole_ in the back of the room?" He pinched the bridge of his nose as he added, "And why someone thought _a blazer_ could cover it?"

Lucy's mouth fell open. _Wrong move, sir._ She stole a glance at Erza and could tell that the scarlet-head was doing her best to maintain her composure.

The room was dead silent, all waiting for Erza's response.

"Well, Ms. Scarlet?" _Holy crud, he has a death wish._

Erza replied after what seemed like an eternity to Lucy and the others, "I'll take care of it later, sir." She dodged the question and everyone released the breaths they had been holding. _Phew._

They kept coming though. "How about Mr. Dragneel?"

"I took care of him, sir." Erza appeared to be proud of herself, not even a hint of remorse was in her voice. Lucy sweatdropped. _Typical Erza._

"Ms. Strauss, then?"

"Lisanna is with Natsu, sir."

"Thank you, Ms. Scarlet." It was easy to see that he had more to ask, but decided against it. "Good morning, class. Today we'll be having…"

Lucy leaned back in her seat, already zoning out. Natsu and Lisanna were most likely in the clinic, the boy resting and the girl looking over him. The blond picked at her polish-free nails in an attempt to distract herself from her own thoughts.

 _You're moving on, Lucy._ _Natsu has Lisanna now._

 _That doesn't mean I can't worry about him, right?_

She could remember how she once took over Lisanna's place. How she was the one who missed class when Natsu wasn't feeling well. How she was the one humming You Are My Sunshine as he slept. How she was the one he teased once he woke up.

 _"_ _You're my sunshine, too!"_

Her chest tightened as the image of his grin resurfaced. She just couldn't forget the way his eyes turned into happy crescents when he smiled nor could she forget how contagious it was. Natsu simply made her happy, even when times were rough. He was her sunshine.

 _And I'm not his._

Lucy covered her eyes with a hand, shoulders quaking as she sobbed silently.

This was going to be one hell of a long day.

* * *

The bell signaling lunchtime jolted Lucy awake. _I slept through Chemistry… again._ The subject itself was interesting, but the subject teacher? Not so much, no offense to him though.

"Lu-chan!" Levy appeared in front of her. "Let's go before the line gets too long."

She was left with no choice as the bluenette grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her toward the cafeteria. Gajeel followed them.

The lunch lady seemed to be aware of Lucy's foul mood, cutting her some slack and giving her an extra carton of chocolate milk. Levy immediately noticed it once they sat down at their usual table. "Hey, no fair!"

Before Lucy could respond, Gajeel had already given Levy his carton.

"I-I can't take this!" The bright red blush on her cheeks clashed with her blue hair. "This is yours, Gajeel." She reached over to give it back, but he pushed her hand back to the tray.

"You can have it, Shrimp."

"Thanks, Gajeel," Levy murmured, her blush deepening.

Lucy smiled at the couple across her. "You guys are too cute." _Now I want a boyfriend._

Gajeel smirked down at her girlfriend. "Well… my shortie _is_ the cutest shortie."

"D-d-don't say that!" Levy covered her flushed face. "That's embarrassing!"

He plucked her hands off her eyes, his playful gaze became serious. "I will _never_ be embarrassed of you."

Even Lucy went a little pink at Gajeel's statement. Who knew this terrifying man had a soft side that only Levy could unlock? Ah, the power of love.

"Wh-what are you saying?" Levy refused to meet his eyes. "Go eat your food!"

"You love me," Gajeel laughed.

"You know I do." Levy rolled her eyes and continued to eat.

"Gihee."

Across the couple, the blonde bitterly stabbed her mac 'n' cheese. _God, I am such a third wheel. Erza, Gray, where are you?!_

Lunchtime was almost over when they came back to their classroom. Lucy saw that Natsu and Lisanna were back, but Gray and Erza weren't there.

Levy and Gajeel went to their respective seats, which were next to Gray, and Lucy went over to Cana, who was at the rightmost seat in the back*. She was chugging down her 'secret drink'. Everybody knew it was booze.

"What brings you here, Lucy?" Cana spoke clearly though her mouth was still on the lip of the bottle. For a person who drank a lot, she never got _drunk_ , or at least not to the point where she started to slur. It amazed Lucy.

"Have you seen Erza and Gray?"

Cana looked up to her left. "Hmm…" And looked at Lucy. "I think they went to the infirmary?"

A bit hesitant at first, she said, "Okay, thanks, Cana!" The said girl smiled at Lucy and went back to downing her drink.

Lucy paused as questions flooded her mind. Why would they need to go to the infirmary? Did they look for Natsu there? _But he's here already!_ Then maybe Erza was sick? _No way in hell._ How about Gray, did something happen to him?

 _Oh._ The color drained from her face and she headed for the door.

Triple damn Lyon. Even if he and Gray weren't brothers by birth, how could he do this to him? And so casually too, like they were used to it – wait, were they used to it? Honestly, Lucy didn't know. She didn't even want to know.

Her train of thought was cut short when she collided with something hard, knocking her a step back. "Ow!" She rubbed her forehead and turned to look at what she ran into.

More like _who_ she ran into.

 _Ah, shit._ "Lunchtime is over, Ms. Heartfilia."

She stomped to her seat with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out like a little kid.

Guess she'll have to wait till later.

* * *

It was now later.

The bell rang and the students shot up from their seats to fix their bags or talk to their friends, the noise drowning out the teacher's words. "Don't forget to do your homework – blah, blah, blah…"

Did he really say the last part? Eh, doesn't matter, it all sounded gibberish to Lucy. She had more important matters to attend to, Erza and Gray for example. Homework could wait.

Lucy slung her bag over her shoulder and beat everyone out the door, feet already speeding to the infirmary. _C'mon, please still be there._ She picked up her pace when the infirmary door came to view.

"Excuse me–" Her hand was in knocking pose when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

It was Lisanna.

"You're Lucy, right?"

The blonde gulped before forcing a smile and turning around. "Y-Yeah, that's me." She was not prepared for any kind of conversation with The Girlfriend.

On the other hand, Lisanna seemed to be… okay? It wasn't a bad thing, but Lucy expected her to be angry or annoyed. _Does she know I like her boyfriend?_

Lucy inwardly groaned. _That sounds so wrong._

"Nice to meet you, Lucy." Lisanna extended her hand. "I'm Lisanna Strauss."

She took it. "Nice to meet you too, Lisanna."

When their hands met, Lucy could swear she felt the girl tense and then drop her hand. She was tense herself but _why?_

"I know you're busy, but can I borrow you for a sec? I promise it won't take long."

 _No way._ "Yeah, sure." _LUCY!_

"Great!" Lisanna cheered. "Follow me."

 _This is it._ Lucy knew falling for Natsu Dragneel was a bad idea. If only he told her he had a girlfriend, she would've backed off before she got in too deep. Now she was going to die for it, or at least she thought so.

The two walked in silence, Lisanna in the lead, she sometimes turned to look if Lucy was still behind her, which she was. The blonde didn't know where they were going, she doubted if Lisanna did too, with the girl's steady flow of apologies and whatnot. Why was she even apologizing?

"Aha!" Lisanna abruptly stopped, causing Lucy to crash into her. They toppled into the room, both yelping once they hit the floor.

Lucy rubbed her right elbow, which she used to break her fall, a sheepish smile plastered on her face. "Err, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that." She pulled herself back up and helped Lisanna do the same.

"No, it's okay, it's my fault anyway." Lisanna waved her hands. "I was too excited. I haven't been in this room for ages!"

Not knowing how to respond, Lucy nodded, her own eyes scanning the room. It was empty, there weren't any desks nor were there chairs, with only the blackboard and lots of dust. The sunlight exposed the cracks on the floor and walls. So far, the room appeared to be abandoned, as if no one had visited in a long time.

Actually, she would have thought no one had ever visited if not for the words in the corner of the blackboard. _What's that?_ Lucy took slow steps, reading the note as she neared.

She swore her heart broke again.

Footsteps came from behind her and Lisanna's voice filled her ears. "Oh, I remember that." She sounded so happy and in love.

Lucy wanted to be both happy and in love. She could only watch as Lisanna traced the letters. "Natsu wrote this."

 _I know._ Lucy could distinguish his messy handwriting anywhere and she hated it so much. It hurt her head trying to read the notes he slipped into her bag, even more so the ones he passed to her during class. _Gah, who am I kidding?_ She loved his handwriting – legible or not – it was one of the many things that made Natsu, well, Natsu.

And God knew how much she loved Natsu.

" _Lucy_?"

Her head snapped up, brown eyes refusing to look at her blue ones. Lucy focused on the wall behind Lisanna and quirked a brow up, still scared her voice would break if she tried to talk.

"Are you okay?"

"Mhmm." _I'm not._

"Then why are you crying?"

 _Huh?_ Lucy brought a hand to her cheek and, as Lisanna said, she was indeed crying. She could feel the wetness of her tears, probably mixed with her sweat. It wasn't her fault the room was hot and humid, but it was her fault her heart was broken.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry…" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, head down and frame slightly quaking as she tried to contain her emotions.

"Look at me, Lucy." Lisanna's voice was no longer gentle, but rather stony, causing the blonde to flinch and shake her head slowly.

"I-I can't…"

" _Look at me, Lucy."_ Lisanna firmly put her hand on the girl's shoulders and she flinched away for a second time.

" _No!_ " She shook her head faster and more desperate now, as if it would stop the incoming confrontation about her true feelings for Natsu. Lisanna was his _girlfriend_ , for goodness' sake! And Lucy was just his _friend_.

His _best friend_.

She wanted to be much more than friends, much more than best friends.

And as if Lisanna could read her thoughts, she asked the expected, "Lucy… do you like Natsu?" Her tone heavily implied that, if she said yes, things wouldn't be pretty.

More and more tension filled the air, overwhelming Lucy. Lisanna didn't move an inch, merely watching the girl fall down her knees and tremble as she choked on her sobs.

Lucy wanted to shout and admit her own feelings for Natsu, but she couldn't find her voice. Fuck, she even found it hard to breathe. Everything was starting to close in on her, starting to entrap her, and she felt so damn little. So damn useless. And she hated every bit of it.

She laughed bitterly on the inside. So what if she did find her voice, what would she say? What would she say to The Girlfriend? Did she really have the courage to confess, to say that she not only liked, but _loved_ Natsu? Or would she deny it, would she lie? Could she even lie?

"I don't have any time for this," Lisanna scoffed. "Besides, Natsu's waiting for me." Lucy could hear the smirk in her voice and she willed herself not to snap even further. "Bye, _Luce_ , I'll be waiting for your answer."

Lucy cradled herself on the floor, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. After everything that just happened, Erza and Gray were pushed to the back of her thoughts and Natsu occupied all the remaining space. His soft and pink hair, his magnetizing onyx eyes, his war-ending and cancer-curing grin, his… girlfriend.

 _Lisanna_. Holy crap, Lucy had never thought she could mentally say a name with so much venom, but there she was. Her tears of sadness turned into tears of anger as she remembered how Lisanna mocked her. Natsu was too good for her!

 _And he's too good for you, Lucy._ She reminded herself bitterly before switching back to being sad. It was no use being angry, it would only cause more trouble, and trouble was the last thing she wanted. She took deep breaths with much difficulty, trying to calm down before getting up. Once she did, she hauled herself back to the blackboard.

Lucy dragged her palm across the words harshly, doing it again when she saw it didn't erase. _What did Natsu write this with? Argh, why won't it come off?!_ Abrasions started to appear on her skin as she continued to move back and forth. At every scrape, her hand begged for her to stop, it was _burning_ and she couldn't help but let a few tears spill out.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy stopped to look at the final outcome.

"Impossible!" she cried at what she saw. She couldn't erase even a single character. " _Impossible!_ " She slammed both of her hands onto the board, wincing at how much it hurt inside and out.

 **Natsu + Lisanna = Together Forever!  
I love you soooo much, Liz! :D ❤**

Lucy wasn't able to erase them.

* * *

 **A/N:** oh gosh it's been so long since i updated pls forgive me HAHA this is such a shitty chapter holy crud wow i'm sorry i'll make it up to all of you next chapter! school has been so harsh _aaahhhh_ i need the Christmas break asap D: sorry for any typos and grammatical errors, i was so lightheaded when i wrote this haha but do point them out so i can edit them, thanks! leave a revieeeww hihi bless yall ((btw go vote on the poll!))


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